Autism and Developmental Language Impairments最新文献

{"title":"The suitability and acceptability of a co-designed prototype psychoeducational activity book for autistic children aged five-eleven years.","authors":"Lauren Powell, Gemma Wheeler, Chris Redford, Jonathan Stott","doi":"10.1177/23969415241234648","DOIUrl":"10.1177/23969415241234648","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Evidence suggests that autistic children and young people (CAYP) can benefit from age-appropriate psychoeducation. Co-design is a methodology that iteratively involves end users and stakeholders in producing an intervention which may increase engagement and impact. Few age-appropriate co-designed psychoeducation resources for autistic CAYP exist. Therefore, a paper-based resource was co-designed for autistic CAYP who attend mainstream primary education. The resource aims to educate CAYP about their autism and provide strategies to support them to live well with their autism.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This paper describes the evaluation of the prototype resource through online workshops with 12 families and input from four specialist clinicians. The suitability and acceptability of the resource was explored, and sketch notes were taken for respondent validity and engagement purposes.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A reflexive thematic analysis identified six themes and two subthemes: (1) content appropriateness (subtheme: strategies and unpredictability); (2) relating to content, (3) feelings and emotions, (4) terminology (subtheme: literal thinking); (5) positivity, and (6) communication aid. Suggested improvements were also identified. Results suggest the resource is suitable and acceptable.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Future intervention development research may consider individual differences of autistic CAYP and the co-design of resources for other age groups of neurodiverse populations.</p>","PeriodicalId":36716,"journal":{"name":"Autism and Developmental Language Impairments","volume":"9 ","pages":"23969415241234648"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10903197/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139997722","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The importance and challenges of observing social interactions in autistic preschoolers during inclusive educational settings: A scoping review.","authors":"Stella Tsamitrou, Marie-Hélène Plumet","doi":"10.1177/23969415241227077","DOIUrl":"10.1177/23969415241227077","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Background and aims: &lt;/strong&gt;A growing number of autistic children have access to inclusive education programs as early as kindergarten. However, little is known about how they actually participate in social interactions and develop their communicative skills according to the parameters of this environment. The aim of this article is to review observational studies on this topic and critically analyze their methodological choices by arguing on the aspects of communication skills noted in the observation grids. Disparities in the information collected depending on the method used have implications for understanding and supporting autistic children in an inclusive school environment.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Methods: &lt;/strong&gt;Observational studies on social interactions of autistic preschoolers within inclusive preschool settings were scoped. The studies were analyzed according to the following parameters: aims of observation, method used for coding, communication partners considered (adults and peers), type of children's social engagement (initiatives and responses), diversity of communicative forms and communication functions, distinction and comparison of interactional contexts related to the activities, and whether changes linked to developmental variables are studied on an interindividual or longitudinal basis.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Results: &lt;/strong&gt;Seventeen studies using the observation method in inclusive preschool settings were identified. Recordingmethods are mostly based on video recording. The coding grids mainly focus on autistic children while partners' behaviors (adults, peers) are often coded in less detail, thus providing littleinformation on their dynamic role in the interactions. Overall, autistic children were found to initiate interactions much less often than they respond to it. The data generally distinguish thecommunicative forms used by children and indicate a predominance of nonverbal means at preschool level. However, a few studies coded communicative functions, whether they areaddressed to children or produced by them. In addition, very few studies compare interactions across activity contexts. In addition, very few studies compare interactions across activity contexts.Results of some studies showed that children initiated interaction more frequently during free play than during work activity, but results are heterogeneous. Developmental trajectories in socialskills seem to be associated with the severity of autism and language skills, but longitudinal designs are still rare.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conclusions and implications: &lt;/strong&gt;Direct and fine-grained observation in the classroom is a key source of information about how communication takes place in preschool-inclusive settings. The data, despite some methodological challenges, offer opportunities for better adjustment based on professional objectives. Our review highlights the importance of offering occasions for initiatives to autistic children and training of neurotypical pe","PeriodicalId":36716,"journal":{"name":"Autism and Developmental Language Impairments","volume":"9 ","pages":"23969415241227077"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10900867/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139991323","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The diversity of speech-perception difficulties among autistic individuals.","authors":"George J Bendo, Alexandra Sturrock, Graham Hanks, Christopher J Plack, Emma Gowen, Hannah Guest","doi":"10.1177/23969415241227074","DOIUrl":"10.1177/23969415241227074","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Background & aims: &lt;/strong&gt;Communicative and sensory differences are core autistic traits, yet speech-perception abilities and difficulties among autistic individuals remain poorly understood. Laboratory studies have produced mixed and inconclusive results, in part because of the lack of input from autistic individuals in defining the hypotheses and shaping the methods used in this field of research. Little in-depth qualitative research on autistic experiences of speech perception has been published, yet such research could form the basis for better laboratory research, for improved understanding of autistic experiences, and for the development of interventions. Existing qualitative research describes widespread autistic listening differences with significant impacts, but these results rely on data gathered via oral interviews in a small sample. The present study addresses these limitations and employs a mixed-methods approach to explore autistic listening experiences.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Methods: &lt;/strong&gt;We gathered survey data from 79 autistic individuals aged 18-55 without diagnosed hearing loss. The questionnaire included 20 closed-set questions on listening abilities and difficulties and three free-text questions on listening experiences. The free-text questions underwent deductive content analysis using a framework composed of themes from previous interview data on listening experiences (including auditory differences, contributing factors, impacts, and coping strategies). Concepts in the free-text data that were not part of the analysis framework were analyzed inductively.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Results: &lt;/strong&gt;In the closed-set data, participants reported listening difficulties in most specified environments, but complex background sounds and particularly background voices caused the most difficulty. Those who reported listening difficulties expressed having substantially greater difficulties than other people the same age. Participants indicated multiple impacts from listening difficulties, most prominently in their social lives. Concepts in the free-text data strongly supported previous interview data on listening differences and factors that affect listening ability, especially the diversity of types of listening difficulties. Consistent with the closed-set data, background-sound complexity and concurrent voices were especially troubling. Some concepts in the free-text data were novel, particularly difficulties with remote, broadcast, and recorded audio, prompting the creation of new themes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conclusions: &lt;/strong&gt;Both forms of data indicate widespread listening differences-predominantly listening difficulties-affecting most autistic adults. Diverse types of listening difficulty are evident, potentially indicating heterogeneous underlying mechanisms, and complexity of background noise is consistently identified as an important factor. Listening difficulties are said to have substantial and varied impacts. Autistic adults a","PeriodicalId":36716,"journal":{"name":"Autism and Developmental Language Impairments","volume":"9 ","pages":"23969415241227074"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-01-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10822079/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139571886","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Examining gender effects in autistic written language skills: A small sample exploratory study.","authors":"Johanna R Price, Emily C Biebesheimer, Kong Chen","doi":"10.1177/23969415241227071","DOIUrl":"10.1177/23969415241227071","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Gender differences in the written language of autistic individuals are an overlooked but important area of research. We contend that the gender differences in spoken language of autistic individuals may extend to written language, mirroring the gender differences of writing in the general population and reflecting the shared dimensionality of oral and written language. Our research question was: Do autistic adolescent females demonstrate written language characteristics, across persuasive, expository, and narrative genres, that are distinct from those of autistic adolescent males and non-autistic (NA) adolescent females?</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We performed a secondary, exploratory analysis on writing samples collected from 18 participants (11 autistic males, three autistic females, and four NA females) from a larger investigation of autistic adolescents' writing skills. Each participant completed three writing samples-one persuasive, one expository, and one narrative (for a total of 54 writing samples). We compared sample length (total number of words), writing productivity (words written per minute), syntactic length (mean length of T-unit in words), vocabulary diversity (type-token ratio), and macrostructure of autistic females' samples to autistic males' and NA females' samples.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Based on non-parametric analyses using variable medians, autistic males, but not autistic females, wrote significantly shorter expository samples than NA females. Autistic males' writing productivity was significantly lower in the persuasive and expository genres than both autistic females and NA females. Several other comparisons of sample length, productivity, vocabulary diversity, and persuasive and narrative macrostructure yielded large effect sizes but were not statistically significant.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Though our small sample sizes prevent us from drawing generalizable conclusions, we observed that some gender-specific findings of the current study differ from previous findings based on a single autistic group (females and males combined). Combining data of autistic females with autistic males may cloud the distinct written language characteristics of each group.</p><p><strong>Implications: </strong>Our findings, especially when situated in the context of relevant literature, suggest that larger-scale investigation of gender differences in written language is essential in order to more fully describe the unique characteristics of autistic females. Clinicians should be prepared to support autistic writers' needs for producing written language to meet their developmental, academic, social, and employment-related goals.</p>","PeriodicalId":36716,"journal":{"name":"Autism and Developmental Language Impairments","volume":"9 ","pages":"23969415241227071"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10860466/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139724400","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Developing a new questionnaire of positive contributions to Chinese families by children with autism spectrum disorder.","authors":"Shulan Zeng, Afsheen Sardar, Amoneeta Beckstein, Noor Hassline Mohamed, Renhong Shen, Yunhui Xiu","doi":"10.1177/23969415231221520","DOIUrl":"10.1177/23969415231221520","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Background and aims: &lt;/strong&gt;A literature review of both Eastern and Western literature regarding families of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) revealed limited empirical research that examines ASD in China. Furthermore, most research in this area comes from a deficit model and there is a lack of research that comes from a strengths background. No previous study in China has looked at the positive contributions of children with ASD to their families. The present study came from a strengths-based perspective and aimed to develop a new questionnaire to evaluate the positive contributions made to families by children who have ASD in China and are raised by their respective families. It considered the severity level of the children's disorder and the impact this had on the parents. Besides examining the children's impairment levels, the study also examined positive contributions and their relationship with socio-demographic elements such as family income and employment status of the parents, which also seem to be related to the positive contributions experienced by the parents.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Methods: &lt;/strong&gt;First, based on the literature review, an initial qualitative interview protocol was developed and administered to 10 parents of children with ASD. Then, based on the analyses of the interviews, a quantitative questionnaire was developed to assess the positive contributions of children with ASD to their families. The questionnaire was then administered to 156 parents of children with ASD. The internal structure of the questionnaire was analyzed by factor analysis. The questionnaire's reliability and validity were also examined. The data were then analyzed with multiple correlation comparisons and an independent sample T-test.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Results: &lt;/strong&gt;Six factors emerged for families of children with ASD. The results showed that the cumulative explanatory variance of the six dimensions of the questionnaire was 65.42%. The Cronbach's coefficient of each dimension was between 0.7 and 0.9, and the combined Cronbach's coefficient of the total questionnaire was 0.945. This study found that the overall average positive contribution to families by children with ASD was 3.32, which is at a medium level, and all six dimensions were at a medium-to-high level. This study also found that the family's monthly income contributed to the &lt;i&gt;overall positive contribution, intimacy and happiness,&lt;/i&gt; and &lt;i&gt;gaining more special knowledge through experience&lt;/i&gt; dimensions. Furthermore, it was found that moderate severity of ASD, high income, and parental employment were all associated with more positive contributions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conclusion: &lt;/strong&gt;This new questionnaire appears to have good reliability and validity and seems suitable for assessing the positive contributions to families by children with ASD in China.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Implications: &lt;/strong&gt;The present study may be helpful for the parents of children with ASD and will ","PeriodicalId":36716,"journal":{"name":"Autism and Developmental Language Impairments","volume":"9 ","pages":"23969415231221520"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10768583/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139378438","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Predictors of Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) outcomes.","authors":"Julie Koudys, Adrienne Perry, Carly Magnacca, Kristen McFee","doi":"10.1177/23969415231221516","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/23969415231221516","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background & aims: </strong>Although the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) has been demonstrated to be an effective intervention to teach people diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder a functional communication system, the research indicates variability in PECS outcomes across people and studies. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to explore child characteristics and treatment variables that may explain the variation in, and potentially predict, PECS outcomes.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>A total of 22 children and youth diagnosed with autism or a related developmental disorder, all of whom scored substantially below average on standardized measures of cognitive and adaptive abilities, participated in a PECS intervention.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Participants who achieved high phases of PECS (≥PECS phase IIIb) differed significantly from those who mastered lower PECS phases (≤PECS phase IIIa) in terms of overall, verbal, and nonverbal mental age, matching abilities, and adaptive behavior level. Stimulus generalization was also associated with significant variation in PECS outcome. PECS outcomes could be predicted with good accuracy using a combination of these child characteristics and treatment variables.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The findings from the current study suggest that children with relatively higher cognitive and adaptive skill levels are more likely to achieve higher phases of PECS; further, approaches to generalization training also play a role. Factors such as autism symptom severity and parental ratings of maladaptive behavior were not associated with significant differences in PECS outcomes. However, more research is needed.</p><p><strong>Implications: </strong>Gaining a better understanding of predictors of PECS outcomes is important to inform intervention, provide more accurate outcome expectations for families, and guide PECS teaching procedures. Although participants were more likely to achieve higher phases of PECS if they had a higher mental age, adaptive skill level, and matching skills, the average scores for these measures were well below those expected for same age peers. These results indicate that PECS is appropriate for use with children with clinically significant deficits in cognitive and/or adaptive abilities. Further, results suggest that even children who demonstrate more severe symptoms of autism and exhibit more challenging behavior can achieve higher phases of PECS.</p>","PeriodicalId":36716,"journal":{"name":"Autism and Developmental Language Impairments","volume":"8 ","pages":"23969415231221516"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10748685/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139032646","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Understanding the experiences and needs in autism education: A semi-structured interview among Chinese American parents of autistic children.","authors":"Xihan Yang, Eileen T Crehan","doi":"10.1177/23969415231217191","DOIUrl":"10.1177/23969415231217191","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>The diversity of the autistic population seeking professional services and education in the United States has increased. As the diagnosis of autism increases among the Chinese American immigrant population, there is also an increasing need to learn about this population and provide appropriate intervention and education for this group. However, current education and intervention provided for autistic individuals tend to be culturally blind. Gaps were found in our understanding of the cultural context and its relationship with the education mechanisms among Chinese American autistic families. The current study intends to investigate how Chinese American parents perceive the education materials and intervention strategies received by their autistic children as well as their experiences and needs in the education process.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>Semi-structured interviews were conducted among 10 Chinese American parents (one father and nine mothers) online. They all had children who had a formal diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder and received some intervention or education. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the results.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The study suggested that most Chinese American parents were satisfied with the current education materials and intervention strategies provided to their autistic children. Due to cultural-related stigma, parents differ in their perceptions of children's autism diagnosis and characteristics as well as their expectations of children's culturally sensitive education. A theoretical model was created to provide culture-centered interpretation of the interconnected relationship between their pre- and post-immigration contexts and parenting attitudes.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Culture plays a critical role in understanding Chinese American parents' experiences, needs, and expectations of culturally sensitive education for their autistic children. Interconnected relationships were found between contexts and parenting attitudes, which were largely influenced by cultural-related stigma.</p><p><strong>Implications: </strong>Suggestions and implications were provided for institutions and professionals working with Chinese American families and children. It is critical for them to learn about the experiences, needs, and attitudes of Chinese American parents to provide Chinese American autistic children with more appropriate and culturally sensitive education.</p>","PeriodicalId":36716,"journal":{"name":"Autism and Developmental Language Impairments","volume":"8 ","pages":"23969415231217191"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10693210/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138478790","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on children with autism spectrum disorder and their mothers in Japan.","authors":"Hiroshi Asaoka, Shoji Okamura, Chitose Baba, Natsumi Fujimoto, Yuka Ishizuka, Tomoya Takahashi","doi":"10.1177/23969415231212347","DOIUrl":"10.1177/23969415231212347","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Research on the psychological impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has highlighted its negative and positive effects on children with autism spectrum disorder and their families. However, little is known about the neutral effects that remain the same, even in particular circumstances, and how children with autism spectrum disorder and their parents perceive each other. We explored how children with autism spectrum disorder and their mothers perceived and experienced the pandemic in Japan.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A mixed-methods design was employed. Thirteen children with autism spectrum disorder and 12 mothers participated. Data were collected through online semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis. Similarities and differences in perceptions were compared.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The results revealed six broad themes and 27 categories. Regarding neutral effects, some mothers reported no substantial impact because there were no changes in their jobs or other dramatic life changes. In addition, some children were not affected because they had had no social contact before the pandemic or because their lives had not changed dramatically. Regarding the perceptions of children/mothers, most expressed that they/their children enjoyed spending time with their families. At home, mothers made various efforts to interact with their children. However, mothers and children differed in their perceptions, such as regarding the emergence of anxiety about conducting school events and the resolution of study-related concerns.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>There were negative, neutral, and positive effects on both children with autism spectrum disorder and their mothers; specifically, they were striving to move forward to overcome the problems posed by the pandemic. Both parties tapped into their resilience by enhancing family interactions, such as cooking together or discussing children's interests.</p><p><strong>Implications: </strong>These findings have important implications for developing more creative solutions to the challenges of coping and resilience in future crises.</p>","PeriodicalId":36716,"journal":{"name":"Autism and Developmental Language Impairments","volume":"8 ","pages":"23969415231212347"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10637136/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"89719873","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Peer mediation in play settings for minimally verbal students with autism Spectrum disorder.","authors":"Gaëtan Briet,&nbsp;Gaïd Le Maner-Idrissi,&nbsp;Tanguy Seveno,&nbsp;Olivier Le Marec,&nbsp;Sandrine Le Sourn-Bissaoui","doi":"10.1177/23969415231204837","DOIUrl":"10.1177/23969415231204837","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Peer-mediated interventions (PMIs) are effective strategies to foster socialization of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in natural settings. However, research examining the efficacy of peer mediation for students with ASD who have the greatest cognitive and language impairments remains limited. Additionally, previous studies essentially targeted communicative abilities of participants. To address this gap, the present study evaluated the effects of a play-based PMI on three socio-communicative skills (play, social engagement and imitation) of minimally verbal students with ASD who also have a comorbidity of intellectual disability (ID).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Seven children with ASD attending ordinary school settings and 14 typically developing (TD) preschoolers participated. Seven single-sex groups were formed, and children played together during two 30 min weekly sessions. TD children were trained according to the principles of the integrated play group model. We used a multiple-baseline design across participants to measure the effects of the intervention on play skills, social engagement and motor imitation of students with ASD.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Outcomes revealed an intervention effect for most of the participants, despite some variations across children. After the peer training, four children increased their duration of functional/symbolic play, six children improved their duration of interactive play and five children increased their rates of motor imitation. Concerning maintenance gains, inter-individual differences are also important.</p><p><strong>Conclusions and implications: </strong>These findings suggest that a play-based PMI may be a feasible option for targeting inclusive education and improving socio-communicative skills of some minimally verbal students with ASD who also have an ID. However, variations across children invite further research to clarify how individual factors can moderate the effects of PMIs in children with ASD who are the most impaired.</p>","PeriodicalId":36716,"journal":{"name":"Autism and Developmental Language Impairments","volume":"8 ","pages":"23969415231204837"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/ca/29/10.1177_23969415231204837.PMC10588431.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49692728","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"\"He's shouting so loud but nobody's hearing him\": A multi-informant study of autistic pupils' experiences of school non-attendance and exclusion.","authors":"Laura Gray, Vivian Hill, Elizabeth Pellicano","doi":"10.1177/23969415231207816","DOIUrl":"10.1177/23969415231207816","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Children and young people on the autism spectrum frequently report a range of negative educational experiences and face disproportionally high rates of school non-attendance, including school avoidance and permanent exclusion, which can have a significant impact on their well-being as well as educational and broader life outcomes. To date, few studies have examined the full range of proximal (child, parent/family, school levels) and distal (community and society levels) barriers to ensuring the school attendance and the inclusion of autistic pupils. The current study sought to do just that by examining autistic young peoples' school non-attendance and exclusion experiences from the perspectives of multiple informants.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We recruited 12 autistic pupils, who had previously experienced school avoidance and/or exclusion, from one local authority in England, United Kingdom. We conducted semi-structured interviews with the young people themselves, ten of their parents, eight of their current teachers and nine local authority professionals, including six educational psychologists and three specialist autism teachers. We analyzed interviewees' responses using reflexive thematic analysis.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Interviewees gave overwhelmingly negative accounts of autistic pupils' school non-attendance and exclusion experiences. Our analysis identified a range of school-related factors they felt led to, or exacerbated, negative experiences in their former mainstream schools, and which ultimately led to their or their children's school non-attendance. It also went further to identify distal factors, including fragmented educational experiences, parents \"fighting\" against a complex bureaucratic system to secure appropriate education for their children, and limited professional involvement.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our findings emphasize the importance of examining the broader context in which autistic pupils are embedded and demonstrate that such pupils are able to successfully attend-and even enjoy-school when they receive the appropriate care and support.</p><p><strong>Implications: </strong>Schools and local authority professionals should seek to work in partnership with parents and autistic pupils to secure the necessary support for their inclusion in mainstream education. Government policy should support the provision of sufficient local authority professionals to adopt a more proactive approach to mitigate autistic pupils' avoidance of and exclusion from school.</p>","PeriodicalId":36716,"journal":{"name":"Autism and Developmental Language Impairments","volume":"8 ","pages":"23969415231207816"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2023-10-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10583514/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49683158","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}